Airport (film series)

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Airport
Directed by
Alfred Newman
John Cacavas
Lalo Schifrin
Production
company
Release dates
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$387.5 million

Airport is a 1970s film series consisting of four airplane-themed disaster films: Airport, Airport 1975, Airport '77 and The Concorde... Airport '79. They are based on the 1968 novel Airport by Arthur Hailey. The four films grossed $387.5 million worldwide.

The only actor who appeared in all four films is George Kennedy, in his recurring role of Joe Patroni, who progresses from a chief mechanic, to a vice president of operations, to a consultant, to an airline pilot.

Critical reception

The first Airport film from 1970 has been praised for the film's influence on the disaster genre and its "camp value".[1] However, the movie's star, Burt Lancaster, said in a 1971 reaction to its ten Academy Award nominations that the film was "the biggest piece of junk ever made."[2][3]

The New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael characterized Airport 1975 as "cut-rate swill", produced on a TV-movie budget by mercenary businessmen.[4] Vincent Canby of The New York Times called it "a silly sequel with a 747".[5]

In a review of Airport '77, a critic in The New York Times wrote that it "looks less like the work of a director and writers than like a corporate decision."[6]

Variety′s review of The Concorde... Airport '79 called the film "Definitely not for sophisticates, 'Concorde' is a throwback to the old popcorn genre, and rather enjoyable at that" but noted that "unintentional comedy still seems the 'Airport' series' forte".[7] The New York Times' critic Janet Maslin wrote disparagingly that "'Concorde' is enough to persuade anyone to stay on the ground."[8]

Box office receipts declined as the series progressed, and no further Airport films were produced, although media reports in the early 1980s suggested a fifth film was considered.[citation needed]

The 1980 comedy

Zero Hour! (itself a precursor to the Airport concept, with a screenplay by Hailey), was marketed as a spoof of the Airport series. It spawned its own follow-up, Airplane II: The Sequel
, in 1982.

Box office performance

Film Release date Box office gross Budget Reference
United States/Canada Other territories Worldwide
Airport May 29, 1970 $100,500,000 $27,900,000 $128,400,000 $10,200,000 [9][10][11]
Airport 1975 October 18, 1974 $47,300,000 $55,700,000 $103,000,000 $3,000,000 [12][10]
Airport '77 March 11, 1977 $30,000,000 $61,100,000 $91,100,000 $6,000,000 [13][10]
The Concorde... Airport '79 August 17, 1979 $13,000,000 $52,000,000 $65,000,000 $14,000,000 [14][10]
Total $190,800,000 $196,700,000 $387,500,000 $33,200,000

See also

  • List of film series with four entries

References

  1. ^ Canby, Vincent (March 6, 1970). "The Screen: Multi-Plot, Multi-Star 'Airport' Opens: Lancaster and Martin in Principal Roles Adaptation of Hailey's Novel at Music Hall". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
  2. ^ Stafford, Jeff. "Airport". TCM.com. Turner Classic Movies.
  3. The Montreal Gazette. March 8, 1971 – via Google News
    .
  4. ^ Kael, Pauline (October 28, 1974). "Airport 1975". The New Yorker.
  5. ^ Canby, Vincent (October 19, 1974). "Airport 1975 (1974) Screen: 'Airport 1975' Is a Silly Sequel With a 747". The New York Times.
  6. ^ "'Airport '77,' Starring a Jet, Fails to Maintain High Level". The New York Times. March 26, 1977. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
  7. ^ Poll (August 1, 1979). "Review: "The Concorde – Airport '79"". Variety. p. 20. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  8. ^ Maslin, Janet (August 3, 1979). "The Concorde Airport 79 (1979) Screen: 'Concorde...Airport '79':Airplane on Skis". The New York Times.
  9. ^ "Airport, Box Office Information". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  10. ^
    Daily Variety
    . February 6, 1990. p. 122.
  11. ^ Warga, Wayne (June 21, 1970). "Freddie Fan of Filmdom Finds Lost Audience: The Lost Audience Discovered". Los Angeles Times. p. q1.
  12. ^ "Airport 1975". The Numbers. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  13. ^ "Airport '77, Box Office Information". The Numbers. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  14. ^ "The Concorde: Airport '79, Box Office Information". The Numbers. Retrieved March 22, 2021.

External links

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